Stripers and squid running hot as Block Island bass push early July

What's biting

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**What to Expect the Next Few Days**

The squid-fueled striper bite looks set to hold through the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The Saltwater Edge makes the case clearly: bass are feeding heavily on squid, but the prime windows are concentrating around low-light bookends — first light through mid-morning and the last hour or two of daylight into the evening. Midday fishing is possible but inconsistent. If you're planning a trip this weekend, set your alarm and be on the water before sunrise.

Block Island is worth the run if you're after larger fish. Snug Harbor Marina has been pointing clients that way all week, and The Fisherman (Northeast)'s July 2nd New England forecast corroborates it, noting "a strengthening run of fluke has joined the giant stripers at Block Island" — making the offshore ride worthwhile for anglers who want to mix striper and fluke action on the same trip.

Flatfish prospects may be turning a corner. Both Booked Off Charters and the Frances Fleet acknowledge that bait is stacked on the fluke grounds — big schools of sand eels and squid — but the fish haven't arrived in keeper numbers yet. The Frances Fleet described conditions as "behind where it should be for this time of year" while noting things are slowly improving. With bait in place and sea bass already mixing in, the groundwork is there for fluke action to pick up over the next couple of weeks. Live squid drifted over offshore structure and the islands' rips is the best presentation when you find concentrations.

Black sea bass are a legitimate add-on target right now. Snug Harbor Marina is seeing larger fish along the beaches, and the Frances Fleet reports keeper sea bass counts trending upward alongside large scup. Lighter-tackle anglers fishing inshore rocky structure should find scup readily available through mid-July.

Keep a close eye on the wind forecast before leaving the dock. Strong conditions forced multiple cancellations from charter fleets this past week. The waning gibbous moon will be setting in the pre-dawn hours, keeping early tidal windows dark — favorable for topwater striper action along beaches and rip lines for those who time it right.

Context

Early July in Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island's offshore waters typically marks the crossover from spring-run stripers into summer holding patterns. By this point in a normal year, the heavy pulse of migratory bass has pushed through, with larger fish settling into cooler, deeper refuge — Block Island Sound, the offshore rips, and structure near the islands. The current picture tracks closely with that seasonal template, though with a notably strong squid component extending the quality bite.

The Saltwater Edge Blog's late-June reporting noted that Rhode Island water temperatures had been staying cooler than average heading into summer. In a warm year, Narragansett Bay surface temps can push into the low-to-mid 70s°F by early July, shoving both stripers and squid offshore or into strict nighttime windows much earlier. A cooler-than-usual water column appears to be extending the daytime quality bite window this season, which aligns with why The Saltwater Edge is still calling striper and squid action "fantastic" at a point when it usually softens.

The fluke fishery running behind pace is a recognizable early-summer pattern for this region. In an average year, keeper fluke action around Block Island and the offshore rips peaks in June and early July. A late or scattered baitfish arrival or cooler bottom temperatures can delay the flatfish migration, and the Frances Fleet's observation — bait present but keepers scarce — fits that profile. Historically, conditions tend to normalize as July settles in and water temps stabilize.

Looking further ahead, the bonito and false albacore season is approaching. The Fisherman (Northeast)'s July 2nd New England report noted big bonito already circling off Cape Cod, which is historically a leading indicator for Rhode Island albies and bonito — those species typically push into Block Island Sound and the Point Judith area by mid-to-late July. The Saltwater Edge Blog noted that the 2026 RI recreational regulations brought no new management measures for bonito or false albacore, so anglers can expect the same open fishery this fall, though the underlying conservation concern around those species remains a live conversation locally.